Damp and cold.
Maki, who had been sleeping soundly, frowned in discomfort.
Suddenly, a sinister wind wrapped around her body.
Maki shivered and woke completely from her half-asleep state.
"Seriously, what is wrong with this cursed place? It's this cold even in summer."
Maki rubbed her arms and prepared to get up to find something to keep warm.
For some reason, the first thing she thought of was Panda.
She remembered that Panda's soft body was filled with plenty of cotton.
It would definitely be warm to hug while sleeping.
She shook her head, pushing this tempting but slightly embarrassing thought aside.
Maki subconsciously walked toward where she remembered the wardrobe being.
Although there were only old clothes and blankets there,
for just one night, she felt it would be enough.
After all, the conditions were limited.
However, when Maki looked up at the wardrobe, she realized she was not in the room at all.
What appeared before her was an ancient structure built from massive stones.
The entire building emitted an extremely sinister aura.
Outside the building were many irregular, strangely shaped rocks.
Their surfaces were covered in green slime.
Looking into the distance, all she could see was thick gray-green mist and seawater occasionally surging out from it.
This was a strange island that would drive any ordinary person insane.
Everything here was too abnormal, too contrary to human instincts and perception.
Ordinary people would eventually lose their minds if they stayed here.
Only then did Maki realize something was wrong.
Why did she feel cold?
She knew how strong her body was.
After achieving complete Heavenly Restriction, her physical ability, resistance to curses, and recovery had all greatly improved.
At present, in terms of pure physical strength, only Toji could surpass her.
Even Special Grade sorcerers could not match her in pure physical combat.
Yet she felt cold inside a room?
There was only one possibility.
"Was I cursed by a Cursed Spirit?"
Maki carefully observed her surroundings, trying to figure out when she had been affected.
She had the most combat experience among this generation of students and possessed sharp instincts.
If there had been danger, she believed she would have sensed it.
Yet she had been hit without even realizing it.
The unease made her instinctively reach for the Thousand Machine Umbrella.
But she grabbed nothing.
"Was I the only one brought here?"
Maki felt a headache coming on. Without a cursed tool, she could not exorcise Cursed Spirits.
This would put her in serious danger.
While worrying about herself, she also worried about her companions.
What about Panda, who had been on watch?
If she had been affected, did that mean Panda had already encountered something?
And Toge.
After spending time together, Maki knew he was gentle and reliable.
She did not want anything to happen to him either.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.
Footsteps sounded from behind the rocks.
After a brief hesitation, Maki quickly changed position and hid in a concealed spot, observing the outside.
Normally, she would have already prepared to fight.
But now, without a cursed tool, recklessly engaging would only put her at a disadvantage.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.
Soon, a distorted figure covered in slime appeared in her view.
'Is that the one from yesterday?'
Maki watched in surprise as the humanoid creature, with an octopus-like upper body and human lower body, slowly walked below.
'Why is that thing here?'
She felt confused.
Could this be similar to a Fly Head, a type that appears frequently with similar forms?
But she had never seen anything like it before.
Over the years, she had exorcised many Cursed Spirits and gained extensive experience.
Yet something as unforgettable as this, she had never encountered.
As she thought, the image of the Octopus People became clearer in her mind.
Slippery skin, disgusting tentacles, arms turned into dragging appendages, and dense eyes covering its body.
These details were unconsciously processed by her mind.
"Ugh."
Maki suddenly felt intense dizziness, along with a strong urge to vomit.
In a place she did not notice, her skin began to turn a sickly grayish white.
Thud.
'I've been discovered.'
The footsteps stopped.
Maki felt herself locked onto by more than a dozen eyes.
'That feeling just now was not accidental. It was its attack.'
She was startled, then immediately retreated along the route she had observed earlier.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter.
The pursuit began.
The rocks covered in slime and moss severely restricted her movement.
The distance between them continued to shrink.
"Damn it."
Maki muttered, then turned to face the enemy.
The ground was too slippery for fast movement. It was better to deal with the enemy first.
Even without a cursed tool, she could still knock it away.
After all, this thing did not seem particularly heavy.
Taking advantage of the remaining distance, Maki quickly scanned the ground.
She searched for stable footing.
She did not want to slip at a critical moment.
30 meters, 20 meters, 10 meters.
When the distance closed to 5 meters, Maki moved.
She leaped upward, dodging the sweeping tentacles, and landed behind the enemy.
As it turned to attack, she struck first with a sweeping kick to its legs.
As it fell, Maki grabbed its right leg with one hand and caught its wildly flailing tentacles with the other.
"So slippery. Are you really an octopus?"
Her grip on the leg held firm through the clothing.
But the tentacles were too slippery to hold.
"In that case."
Maki immediately abandoned the idea of controlling it with both hands.
She grabbed its right leg with one hand, spun two and a half times in place, then threw the Octopus People away with full force.
After resolving the immediate danger, Maki began thinking about her next move.
Her gaze fell on the ancient stone building in the distance.
She did not know where she was or why she had come here.
But since it was the only notable structure nearby, she had no reason not to investigate.
Whether it was an enemy base or a trap,
her only options were this rocky island and that building.
As for going the other way,
there was only a mist-covered area that seemed to be the sea.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter.
As Maki thought, countless footsteps began to sound.
(To be continued.)